Equilíbrio higroscópico de milheto, alpiste e painço: obtenção e modelagem

To provide information on the equilibrium moisture content of millet (Piptatherum miliaceum), canary-seed (Phalaris canariensis L.) and pearl millet (Setaria italica), this study was conducted with the objective of determining the sorption isotherms for different levels of air temperature (20 and 60 oC) and of water activity of the product (0.20 to 0.80). The temperature and the relative humidity of the air (water activity) were controlled through a conditioning unit of air Aminco-Aire 150/300 CFM, with an air flow approximately constant at 10 m3 min-1 m-2. The results were evaluated by adjusting to the following mathematical models: Chung-Pfost, Oswin, Smith and Henderson-modified. The results obtained in this work allowed to conclude that the equation proposed by Oswin, with their estimated parameters, was the best to represent the experimental data of millet, while for the experimental data of canary-seed and pearl millet, the Chung-Pfost model was found to be better, when compared with the results of the other equations.